Joel Kinnaman replacing Tom Hardy in Suicide Squad

While there was much disappointment at the news Tom Hardy had dropped out of David Ayer’s forthcoming Suicide Squad adaptation, Warner has moved quickly to replace him, with Joel Kinnaman in line to step into his shoes.

Hardy had initially been slated to play team leader Rick Flagg, only for scheduling issues with Alejandro González Iñárritu’s The Revenant to throw a spanner in the works.

According to The Wrap, Robocop star Kinnaman is currently in negotiations to take on the role of Flagg, the man charged with keeping the titular group of rogues in line.

Should he sign on the dotted line, Kinnaman will join a distinctly starry cast featuring the likes of Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney and Jared Leto.

Directed by Ayer and co-starring Viola Davis and Cara Delavingne, Suicide Squad will open in the UK and the US on 5 August 2016.